Hello readers! I'm happy to introduce another chapter of Beast Wars for you all to enjoy. Today, the Maximals and Predacons will be getting more recruits for the Beast Wars. I do not own Transformers, Beast Wars, Overwatch, the Nintendo Switch, or Chuck-E-Cheese. Transformers and Beast Wars are the property of Hasbro. Overwatch is the property of Blizzard.
Chapter 9: Divide and Conquer: Part 1
Axalon Recreation Room: 11 AM
Rattrap stared intensely at the holo screen as his fingers rapidly pressed the buttons on the controller. Ethan, Evan, and Connie sat beside him with controllers of their own, imitating the same stressful button pressing as the engineer.
Rattrap made a few audible grunts as he grumbled, "I'm not going to lose this time!"
"Eat my dust, Chuck-E-Cheese!" replied Connie.
The human girl had a wide smile and a crazed look in her eyes. Her body was the most still out of the other three playing the game.
From behind the sofa, Cheetor pointed to the screen and shouted, "Quick! Get the mystery block!"
"You guys will be in so much trouble if it's three blue shells," said Derek.
"Rattrap, turn to the left! No, I said left!" cried Nyx.
"Mute your audio box! I'm the one driving here," retorted the buck-toothed Maximal.
"But you're going the wrong-"
Before the pilot could finish her sentence, Rattrap's car fell off the track while the remaining players passed the finish line.
"Aw come on!" shouted the engineer.
Connie raised her controller in the air crying, "Woooo! Still reigning champion!"
"That was ultra gear, Connie. I didn't know you were so good at this game," said Nyx.
The human girl looked back at her robotic friend with a prideful smile. "I'm good at almost every game. That's why they call me a gamer."
"You should see her on Overwatch. She's not a force to be reckoned with," said Ethan.
"Oh man! The game was rigged," whined Rattrap as he threw his controller on the ground and crossed his warms in a pout.
"We warned you that Rainbow Road was the hardest track in the game," said Evan.
"We also warned you that Connie was the best out of all of us. You're lucky if you get second place against her," said Derek.
The buck-toothed bot just grumbled some more under his breath.
"And they have actual competitions to play these games?" asked Cheetor.
"Yep! Some of them you can even play for trophies and money, but that depends on the game," said Ethan.
"There are even some humans on YouTube who get paid to play video games and record their progress for everyone to see," said Derek.
"But that's if your channel is popular enough," added Connie.
Nyx scrunched her face. "Sounds boring."
"Yeah, I don't know how I would feel staring at a screen all day. I would definitely short-circuit without putting in my miles," said Cheetor.
Suddenly, the alarms blared around the area as Optimus's voice echoed over the intercom to report to the bridge. Rattrap turned off the holo screen and Ethan unplugged the Switch before leaving with the others to answer the call.
Once all of the Maximals and humans were gathered, Optimus displayed the projection of the planet Earth in the middle of the table. The round hologram slowly spun around with five dots blinking in different areas of the map.
"We've had another reading of more stasis pods landing on Earth. Rhinox has pinpointed their locations in two separate areas," said the Maximal Leader.
"Two of the pods have landed in a place called…Why-o-ming, while the remaining three landed in Lou-ee-zee-anna," said Rhinox.
Upon closer inspection, Ethan commented, "Not just anywhere in Wyoming, those two pods landed right in the center of Yellowstone Park."
Evan's mouth widened into a smile and his eyes bulged with excitement saying, "Aw cool! We get to go back to Yellowstone!"
"What's Yellowstone?" asked Nyx.
"It's one of the greatest nature parks on Earth. Our parents would take us camping there during the summer. Nothing but miles of preserved wildlife for everyone to admire," said Ethan.
"And they have these huge geysers that shoot water high in the sky like rockets!" added Evan with exaggerated hand gestures.
"Since the pods landed in two separate locations again, we'll divide into two separate groups like last time. Cheetor, Airazor, Tigatron, and I will search for the ones in this Yellowstone Park. Our beast forms will be more suitable to its ecosystem and Cheetor can get there the fastest on foot. Rhinox, you will take Rattrap, Dinobot, Wolfang, and Nyx to find the other three in Louisiana using the Aurora, since those pods are further. With Nyx's eyes in the sky, you'll have a better chance of finding the pods. Ethan and Evan will accompany us since they are both familiar with this nature park. Connie and Derek, you will accompany Rhinox's team," explained Optimus.
Derek's shoulders slouched as he grumbled, "Great, we go from a killer poacher-infested rainforest to a dirty swamp full of alligators."
The Maximal leader continued, "Now that the Predacons know of protoforms and have the means to convert them, we can't leave anything to chance and must depart immediately. Kids, gather everything you'll need while we prep the Aurora for flight."
"Yes sir!" replied the humans with a salute.
To help save time, Spike allowed Ethan and his friends to supply the Axalon armory with their equipment from the farm. The kids quickly gathered the necessary supplies needed for either of the two terrains they would explore. They also made sure to pack extra weapons in case they encountered any Predacons on their search.
By the time the kids were all packed and ready to leave, Rhinox's team already boarded the Aurora while Optimus stood by the hatch with his team in robot mode. With everyone assembled, they wasted no time taking off toward their destinations.
The aurora flew south, towards the Louisiana bayou while Optimus Primal's team traveled east to Yellowstone.
Airazor carried Evan in her Talons while Ethan rode on Optimus's back. Tigatron, and Cheetor traveled on foot, being careful to avoid any human encounters in their beast modes. Even though the spotted feline could get to the park faster than the others, he slowed his pace a little for Tigatron to catch up.
Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean: 11:20 AM
Tarantulas oversaw the controls for the Banshee as he flew the craft toward the destination pinpointed on their radar. Megatron stood behind him with his arms behind his back and a straightened posture.
"Are you sure the stasis pod readings are accurate, Tarantulas?" asked the Predacon leader.
"Of course, Lord Megatron, I updated the Darksyde's atmospheric tracking systems myself. The ship is now programmed to detect the slightest signal matching the previous protoforms we've encountered," replied the scientist.
Megatron's red optics gave an intimidating glare. "They better be leading us in the right direction. I want to reprogram these protoforms before the Maximals get the chance, yes."
Spittor and Skold sat in the seats located in the back.
The blue and orange Predacon asked, "Why should we even bother with some stinking protoforms? Shouldn't we storm their ship while they left it unguarded?"
"We've already tried that," said Skold.
"And no doubt the Maximals will know better than to leave the Axalon undefended while they're away. They would have install security measures to insure none of us could sneak in," said Megatron.
Suddenly, there was a loud bang on the windshield that startled all of the Predacons. Gripping the glass was a familiar large, green wasp with a pleading look in his eyes.
"Could Waaaaaaazzzpinator come in now? Wazzzzzzzpinatorrrr needzzzzzzz break from flyyyyyying," begged the giant insect.
The rest of the Predacons just gave a deadpan stare to Waspinator. Tarantulas pressed a button on the controls, making the wipers push the giant insect off the windshield and out of sight.
Yellowstone National Park: 1 PM
After almost two hours of travel, Optimus Primal's team eventually made it to Yellowstone National Park. As they flew above the terrain, both Maximals stared in awe at the high rocky cliffs with a majestic waterfall pouring down from the side. Optimus can see now why this area was preserved and considered one of the greatest landmarks on the planet. Even though he grew to admire the mountains and forests of Washington state, the natural terrain of this park felt like living art.
Airazor stared at the waterfall as she said, "Wow! You're planet never ceases to amaze me."
"Yeah, it's pretty cool," replied Evan.
"Nothing but over three thousand miles of nature for all to see," said Ethan.
The youngest Witwicky boy looked up at the falcon. "But I'm sure Cybertron is beautiful in its own way."
"You should see Iacon during Victory Day. It's a sight to behold," said Optimus.
Evan cocked a brow and asked, "What's Victory Day?"
"The day our ancestors, the Autobots, won The Great War against the Decepticons. It became such an important moment in our history that we made it into a holiday," said Airazor.
"Like how we celebrate Independence Day," said Ethan.
After they flew for a few more minutes, Optimus contacted Tigatron and Cheetor to meet them in a secluded area to begin their search. The fliers eventually found their allies on a cliff face overlooking the park. They landed as they safely dropped the brothers and Optimus reverted to beast mode.
Ethan activated his communicator and checked the tracker for both pods. "According to the tracker, each pod is located on opposite sides of the park. We'll probably have a better chance of finding it if we divide into teams of two."
"Ethan is right, Cheetor, Evan, and I will locate one while Ethan, Tigatron, and Airazor focus on the other. Keep your commlinks open at all times. Know telling what dangers we might find here besides Predacons," said the gorilla. "Alright, we have our objectives, let's Maximize!"
Ethan knelt at his little brother's level and said, "Evan, no matter what happens, stay beside Optimus and Cheetor at all times and listen to them, okay?"
"Ethan, relax, I already learned my lesson back in Alaska. I'll be stuck to both of them like glue," replied the youngest Witwicky boy with a smile.
Is older brother smiled back. "Good."
Optimus came up to the human brothers saying, "Don't worry, Ethan, Cheetor and I will be sure to keep Evan safe. Tigatron and Airazor will do the same thing for you."
Ethan nodded back at the Maximal leader. "Thanks, Optimus."
"Well, come on! We're not going to find the pods standing here while twiddling our thumbs," said Evan.
The youngest Witwicky boy climbed on Cheetor's back while his older brother climbed onto Tigatron's. Optimus changed back into robot mode as he and Airazor took to the skies again. The search for the two protoforms had begun.
Somewhere else in Yellowstone National Park: 1:10 PM
The Banshee made a stealthy landing in a cluster of trees, careful not to draw any attention to tourists in the area. The door slid open and the ramp slid down as the Predacons crawled out, in Beast Mode. Waspinator waited for them beside the craft.
Tarantulas tapped on his tablet with one of his eight legs saying, "According to my readings, both pods are within opposite directions of each other."
"Then we shall divide our forces to find our objectives faster. Skold, Spittor, you both shall follow the signal for one while Tarantulas, Waspinator, and I follow the other. If you see any Maximals, you know what to do," ordered Megatron
"You got it, bossman," said Spittor with a slight salute.
The giant frog and snapping turtle went in one direction while the t-rex, spider, and insect went in another.
Meanwhile, Cheetor sped through the North American wilderness with Evan on his back. The child gripped the cheetah's pelt with one hand while he observed his tracker with the other. Optimus watched them from the sky the whole time.
The young Maximal made sure to keep a steady pace so Evan would not fall off his back. "So, Evan, you said you've been here before?"
The nine-year-old replied, "Yeah, our parents took us camping here during the summer. We would pitch our tent outside to see the stars at night, go hiking up the cliffs, and take pictures in front of Old Faithful. Dad would take us out on a boat and teach us how to fish. Ethan and I carved our names on this big tree by our campsite and practiced our knife throwing on it. Oh! One time, a raccoon got into our car because Dad left the trunk door open and Mom had to fight it off with a frying pan."
They both laughed at the last part.
"Good times," sighed Evan.
Suddenly, Cheetor stopped in front of a grassy plain and stared at a massive herd of bison in the distance. The large bovines wandered the wilderness, grazing contently.
"Evan, what are those?" asked the young Maximal.
"I think they're called…bison. Kind of like the cows back home, except a lot hairier," said the child.
Before Evan could explain more about these creatures to his spotted friend, his communicator beeped louder and faster than ever before.
Looking down at the screen, he said, "The stasis pod is close by."
Both Cheetor and his charge scanned the open field for any sign of a metallic container large enough to fit a Cybetronian. Eventually, Evan noticed a shiny metallic surface hiding in the swaying tall grass.
He pointed it out crying, "Over there!"
Cheetor spoke through his commlink. "Big Bot, we found the pod."
"Yeah, I see it too," said Optimus.
But before, Cheetor and Evan got any further to the pod, a familiar Hispanic voice yelled, "SURPRISE!"
They both looked up in shock to see Spittor leaping towards them from the trees. Quickly, Cheetor moved out of the way before the giant amphibian could poison the feline with his toxic mucus.
Cheetor's ear's flattened as he growled, "Should've known you Preds would be after the protoforms, too."
There was the clicking sound of a firearm as the young Maximal turned around to see Skold, in robot mode, aiming her blaster at him and Evan.
"And you, pussy cat, were stupid enough to come out here, all alone, with your human friend," said Spittor.
Evan smirked. "Who said we were alone?"
A laser blast hit Skold, pushing her away from the two and tumbling to the ground. Optimus landed beside them with his blaster smoking from the barrels.
"You're not getting this pod!" exclaimed the Maximal leader.
"We'll see about that, mono. As we speak, Megatron is already on his way to reprogram the other one," said Spittor.
Evan's eyes widened in fear. "Oh no, Ethan!"
Optimus could only scowl at the large amphibian and say, "Well, that's just Prime."
Second Team's Location: 1:20 PM
Tigatron sprinted through the cluster of trees with Ethan on his back. The teenager observed his communicator while giving the striped feline directions toward the signal. Throughout a large portion of their time, the human and tiger traversed clusters of trees and rocky cliffs but no sign of the stasis pod.
Eventually, Ethan contacted Airazor saying, "Airazor, have you found anything."
On the other side, the falcon replied, "I am picking a strong signal close to a waterfall. I'll take a closer look."
"Alright, but be careful. We don't know if the Predacons are already here," said Tigatron.
"Plus, even though the wildlife in this park is well protected, there are still some idiot hunters who like to shoot any birds they see in the sky," said Ethan
Airazor chuckled. "That's kind of you both, but I'll be fine."
With help from the flying Maximal, Ethan was able to pinpoint a smaller radius of where the pod was located. Eventually, the two found their way into a scarcer area of the forest. Airazor was in robot mode, standing in front of a metal pod that crashed in the trees.
"You found it!" cried the eldest Witwicky boy as he climbed off of Tigatron.
The female bot pointed to her optics. "These avian eyes really come in handy."
Tigatron transformed into robot mode and joined Airazor by her side.
He did not know why, but without thinking, Tigatron commented, "Those aren't the only things special about you."
Airazor's optics widened as she turned to the white and green bot asking, "What was that?"
Tigatron's optics widened anxiously, realizing the female Maximal had heard him.
To cover up his peculiar compliment, he turned away as he struggled to come up with an explanation, "What? Oh!...Um…Well…What I meant to say…"
Tigatron nervously scratched his chin to come up with a believable excuse but continued to stutter.
Eventually, Airazor just smiled and chuckled again at his embarrassment.
The green bot finally decided to change the subject. "Well, now that we found the pod, let us not waste any time waking it up from stasis."
If robots could blush, Ethan could tell Tigatron was beet red from embarrassment, and he had it bad. The human teen held back his laughter to avoid hurting the Maximal's dignity even more.
But the moment was interrupted when laser blasts blew up the ground around them.
"It's an ambush, take cover!" yelled Tigatron.
Araizor took to the skies while Ethan and Tigatron hid behind some trees with their weapons drawn.
In the distance, they could hear a familiar sinister voice say, "I must thank you, Maximals and human, for going through the trouble of locating the protoform for us, yes."
"Megatron!" said the striped Maximal and teen at the same time.
"That protoform doesn't belong to you, Tyrano Jerk!" yelled Ethan.
"You humans have a saying, don't you? It is called…finders keepers? So, you found the pod, and we get to keep it," said Tarantulas.
"That's not how the saying goes!" retorted the human teen.
"We will not allow you to corrupt another Maximal protoform," growled Tigatron.
"Then well shall decide the old fashion way…a fight to the death!" said Megatron.
All Predacons opened fire as the striped Maximal and the human teen stayed in cover. They were both in a tight spot.
First Team's Location: 1:25 PM
The grassy plains of Yellowstone were blown apart by the firefight between Optimus, Cheetor, and Evan against Skold and Spittor. Both sides were in robot mode as they exchanged laser fire at each other. Spittor avoided most of the lasers with his frog-leaping skills. Skold's shell helped protect her back from any hits she took. Cheetor was able to avoid the incoming fire with his feline agility.
"This is getting us nowhere, Big Bot. The protoform is going to wake up soon and we're stuck in a firefight against these Preds," said the young Maximal.
At that moment, Optimus caught sight of Spittor transforming back into a frog and leaping toward the tall grass.
"I'll cover you, just get to the pod before Spittor does!" he said.
Cheetor looked in his leader's direction to see the large, blue amphibian hopping in the direction of the pod.
He gave a thumbs up to Optimus and said, "Got it! Evan, you stay with Optimus and keep Shell Head off my tail."
The nine-year-old nodded. "Roger that! Just don't let him touch you."
Cheetor changed into beast mode and bolted in a race against Spittor for the protoform. Though the frog had a head start, Cheetor was able to catch up easily. The giant daart frog was surprised to see the spotted feline catch up to him so quickly. He put his legs into overdrive, trying to hop further to reach the pod first. Cheetor did the same, pushing his legs past their normal speed to outrun the Spittor. Both of their joints got sore from the amount of overdrive they put themselves in. Their faces scrunched in pain, ignoring the excruciating feeling to outrun each other.
The stasis pod was only a yard away from them.
Cheetor felt his body falter, but he couldn't let Spittor corrupt the protoform inside. With rapid thinking, he leaped as high in the air as he could and quickly transformed back into robot mode. In a quick draw motion, the young Maximal spun to his side and fired his blaster at Spittor before hitting the ground. The large amphibian let out a yelp as both bots tumbled on the ground, a few feet away from the pod.
Cheetor's vision cleared from the static to see Spittor slowly crawl back up and chuckle.
"That was a dirty trick, gatito…never knew you had it in you, being a Maximal," groaned the Predacon.
"Not as dirty as what you Preds have done, murdering Cybertronians and humans," retorted Cheetor.
Spittor changed into robot mode as both of them stood up but were too weak to fight.
"What can I say? We're cold-blooded," said Spittor with a shrug. "Now if you excuse me, the boss wants me to change the protoform into a Predacon."
"Over my lifeless shell!" yelled Cheetor.
The two engaged in a firefight, both of them shooting rapid fire while dodging each other's attacks with lightning speed. If any of the human teens were watching this fight, they would say it was something out of an anime. Time slowed down around the two as blasted dirt and grass floated in midair while they seemed to move normally in their mind's eyes. What Cheetor failed to notice was when Spittor avoided his last shot, the amphibian purposely hopped in front of the pod.
The young Maximal's optics widened in horror as he watched Spittor open the compartment for the pod's circuitry and pulled out the chip for the shell program from his armor. He was too late, the Predacons were going to corrupt another Maximal. Time slowed down for Cheetor as his mind processors rapidly calculated any possible options. There was only one that came to mind.
"NO!" screamed Cheetor.
He dashed toward the pod with rapid speed and tackled himself into Spittor before the Predacon successfully inserted the shell program in the hardware of the pod. They tumbled through the tall grass again, but this time, Cheetor felt woozy and his cranial circuits began to hurt.
Spittor laughed and said, "That was a really dumb move, fleabag. Better enjoy those memories of yours while they last, because you're not going to have them much longer."
Cheetor could only groan in pain on the ground. He tried to lift himself but was too weak.
The blue and orange Predacon shrugged, "On second thought, I'll do the honorable thing and put you out of your misery."
He aimed his blaster at Cheetor's head.
Optimus and Evan saw this from across the field as the little boy cried in horror, "Cheetor!"
Unbeknownst to all of them, the stasis pod hummed to life as a miniature antenna ejected from the top. A yellow light projected from the antenna as the pod scanned the herd of panicked bison nearby.
"One less Maximal to worry about. See you in the Infernal, Speedy," said Spittor.
"No!" shouted Optimus.
But the Predacon's moment was interrupted by the hissing of steam from the pod. Spittor turned his attention back to the large metal container as the door slid open. For a moment, the inside was covered by thick steam, but then a large black bison charged out and headed towards the blue and orange Preadacon. Before Spittor could react, the massive bovine let out an angry bellow and rammed him with its massive horns. Optimus, Evan, and Skold stared in amazement as the bison flung Spittor in the air, like a beach ball, and slammed into a nearby tree. Everyone froze in shock at the display of the immense power this new Maximal possessed. The bison turned to face Skold and snorted, making steam shoot from his nostrils.
In a low gruff voice, the bovine spoke, "Looks like the party started without me. Bonecrusher, MAXIMIZE!"
Like the others, the bison's body folded and bent to reveal the metal structure of a robot underneath. This bot was just as massive as Rhinox with most of his metal structure being silver. Black bison fur became part of his armor and his horns were still attached to his head.
"Woah!" said Evan.
The nine-year-old was awe-struck by the giant new Maximal towering over the field.
"Slag!" cried Skold.
She aimed her blaster at the new Maximal, called Bonecrusher, but he was quick to respond. The large white and silver bot opened his mouth wide as it began to glow from the inside. A large beam of energy shot out from his mouth and hit the stout Predacon, pushing her back into the tree that Spittor hit.
Evan's eyes sparkled and a wide smile spread across his face as his hands balled into fists of excitement from the display. "No way! He can breathe fire? HE CAN BREATHE FIRE!"
Skold groaned as she sat up from the immense energy beam she took to the face; large portions of her armor were singed. What she failed to notice was the tree began to shift and lean from the amount of damage it took from Bonecrusher's laser breath.
"Timbeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrr!" shouted Evan.
Spittor also woke up from his daze, only to discover the tree he was on began to fall. Both Predacons looked at each other; their optics wide with fear. They screamed as the tree collapsed, pinning them both to the ground, unconscious.
The nine-year-old boy jumped in the air shouting, "Woohoo! Yeah! That was epic!"
Optimus groaned a little from the blue sparks emanating all over his armor. "Too much exposure to…Eenergon radiation…must revert to beast mode."
The Maximal leader shifted back to a gorilla while Bonecrusher changed back into a bison. Curious, the large bovine approached the primate and young human.
Optimus gave a slow nod of his head. "Thank you for the assist."
"Don't mention it. If there is one thing I hate most in the universe, it's a bunch of Preds picking on defenseless Maximals," replied Bonecrusher.
The bison scanned the area with confusion and wonder. "By the way, where exactly are we?"
"We're on a planet called Earth, inhabited by a race known as humans. It's a bit of a long story that we can explain later back on the Axalon," said Optimus.
He gestured toward the human child by his side. "This is Evan, he is a friend."
"That was so cool how you launched Spittor in the air and puked a huge laser beam at Skold!" said the nine-year-old. "You must be really strong if you can catapult a Predacon in the air like a soccer ball. How much can you lift? I bet you can lift a tank or two tanks!" rambled Evan.
Optimus gently tapped him on the shoulder saying, "Take it easy Evan. He just woke up from stasis and probably has a lot of questions of his own that need answering."
Bonecrusher let out a deep hardy chuckle and said, "It's actually comforting to know I haven't lost my touch. I was beginning to think my gears have grown faulty from being in stasis for so long."
But their conversation was cut short by a groan from the empty pod. Everyone turned to see Cheetor slowly stand up and rub his head.
"Cheetor!" cried the Maximal leader.
"O-Optimus?...W-Where are we?" asked the young Maximal.
"Oh no! The toxin from Spittor is already working," said Evan.
Optimus began to think of the estimated time it would take him to fly the young scout back to the ship. "We need to get him back on the Axalon before his data bank takes too much damage."
But before the group could take action, Ethan's voice could be heard over their commlinks. "Optimus! It's Ethan! We found the stasis pod but Megatron has us pinned down with the other Predacons. We could really use some backup right now!"
"What are we going to do Optimus? Tigatron, Airazor, and Ethan are in trouble, but Cheetor needs help before he turns into a vegetable," said Evan.
The young boy's voice filled with worry.
The gorilla thought for a moment about their current situation. Three of their comrades were currently under fire from Megatron and his forces, but if they didn't help Cheetor, his mind would be beyond repair. However, after observing Bonecrusher's display of strength and combat skills earlier, he knew what must be done.
Optimus turned to the bison and said, "I know you just woke up from stasis, but do you think you can help us a little more?"
Bonecrusher just smirked and snorted. "If it involves cracking a few more Predacon heads, I'm all for it."
The Maximal leader smiled back. "Thank you. I'll immediately connect your commlink to the rest of our group. This should lead you to their current position. Evan will accompany you."
The Maximal leader quickly tapped a few commands through the holo keys on his wrist.
"But Optimus, what about Cheetor?" asked Evan.
The gorilla transformed into robot mode and said, "I'll take him back to the Axalon so he will be repaired of Spittor's dementia toxin. Stick by Bonecrusher at all times and stay safe."
The little human gave a firm nod. "Got it!"
After Cheetor changed to beast mode, Optimus picked him up with both arms and flew back toward Copper Wood as fast as he could.
Though the human child was honored Optimus trusted him to help the others with backup, he knew Bonecrusher wasn't enough to help them. Evan stood in thought for a moment until he noticed a few of the wild bison that remained on the field. A smirk formed on his face.
"I have a plan," said the nine-year-old out loud.
He turned to Bonecrusher and asked, "How good are you at speaking bison?"
Second Team's Location: 1:45 PM
Tigatron and Ethan remained trapped behind the trees, trying to return the suppressing fire the Predacons delivered. Megatron returned devastating blasts from his t-rex head cannon while Tarantulas laid rapid fire from his spider legs. One of Megatron's shots obliterates the tree where Tigatron hid, pushing him to the ground. The striped maximal was exposed to the rest of the Predacons.
"Tigatron!" cried Ethan.
Waspinator flew closer and aimed his blaster at the prone Tigatron. "Noooow, Wazzzzpinator zayz goodbyyyye to tiger bot!"
But before the green Predacon could pull the trigger, a shot was fired at his side, blasting him away from Tigatron as he spun uncontrollably in the air.
Airazor swooped in with a smirk.
Waspinator spun in the air a few times before regaining balance and growling in anger.
He turned to the female flyer and said, "Waaaazzpinator rememberzzzz bird bot. WAAAAZZZZZPINATOOOORRR WILL ZZZZZZCRAAAAAAAP!"
Airazor chuckled again and replied, "I'm flattered."
The insect Predacon used his blaster to fire a missile in her direction, but Airazor easily swat it away, like a fly.
"But hardly impressed," she finished.
Using her arm canon, she made two shots at Waspinator, blasting off his insect wings.
The green Predacon realized he had no means to stay in the air and gravity took effect. Waspinator plummeted to the ground and landed head-first, into a gopher hole.
Underground, a family of gophers bit and yanked on Waspinator's antennae as he groaned, "Waaazpinator hates bird bot."
Tigatron quickly stood back up and turned to Airazor with a smile. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it," replied the female flyer.
Ethan rolled his eyes and shook his head.
The battle continued as both sides exchanged laser fire toward each other.
Eventually, Megatron shouted, "Tarantulas, cover me! I'm going to install the shell program into the pod before the protoform awakes."
The Predacn leader charged toward the metal pod while Airazor dove down and said, "Oh no you don't!"
But before she could fire, Tarantulas shot a glob of webbing at her. Airazor was unable to get out f the way in time as the webbing entangled her body and gummed up the propulsion jets keeping her in the air. The female Maximal let out a scream as she hit the ground, trapped in an electric cocoon.
"Airazor!" cried Tigatron.
The striped Maximal quickly made his way to his fallen comrade to help set her free from the webbing.
"Ngh!…I'm alright…save the protoform," she groaned.
With the Maximals distracted, Megatron continued running toward the pod until he was there.
Ethan saw what the Predacon leader was about to do and charged forward shouting, "No!"
He tried to run and fire at Megatron but was intercepted by Tarantulas's large claw clamping around his chest and arms. The teenager dropped his energy rifle in the process. He tried to wiggle free, but the Predacon's grip proved too strong for the young human. Tarantulas gave a sinister chuckle as he raised Ethan in the air, watching him squirm in his claw.
Megaton was quick to open the circuitry for the pod and install the shell program. Ethan watched in horror and defeat as the pod accepted the new programming and began to scan an alternate form for the new Predacon.
As the purple light from the pod scanned the surrounding area, a lone stag beetle crawled up the side of a tree.
After the scan was complete, the pot opened as a giant, blue stag beetle crawled out.
Megatron smiled and said, "Yes! A new recruit for our ranks."
The beetle spoke with a soft British accent, but not as deep as Megatrons. "Sensors are detecting a large percentage of raw Energon in the vicinity. The environment contains unknown species of flora and fauna. What is this place?"
The Predacon leader took a slight bow to the giant beetle in front of him. "Greetings, fellow Predacon. I am Megatron, your supreme leader. Much has happened since you were asleep, but we have landed on a planet, called Earth, on a mission that will overthrow the Maximal counsel on Cyberton and make all Predacons the dominant species. Yes."
"Don't listen t him! You're a Maximal! They used a shell program on you to change your identity into a Predacon" shouted Ethan.
Tarantulas chuckled and said, "You are only wasting your breath, boy. Once the protoform is fully converted, they have no memories of ever being a Maximal. All that remains is that of a newborn Predacon."
Tigatron's face became crestfallen. "No. Not again!"
The beetle's made a few clicking sounds before saying, "Interesting. I believe the legendary Megatron was obliterated at the end of The Great War."
"I am merely a successor who wishes for all Predecons to be free of their Maximal oppressors," said Megatron. "Your skills might prove useful in our cause, whatever it is you can do. Yes."
Though it was hard to read an insect's face, the new Predacon had a glint of mischief in his eyes. "What did you have in mind?"
But their moment was interrupted by a faint rumbling sound that grew louder with each second. The Predacons and Maximals could feel the earth beneath them vibrate, confused by the strange occurrence.
"What's happening?" cried Airazor.
"A tremor?" replied Tarantulas.
Still wrapped in Tarantulas's claw, Ethan's eyes drifted in thought saying, "I don't think that's an earthquake. It's more like a-"
But the human teenager was interrupted by a large herd of bison stampeding through the trees, led by a larger black bison with a little boy on his back.
All of the bison let out low bellows as Evan yelled, "CHAAAAAAAAAAAAARGE!"
"Evan?!" cried the eldest Witwicky boy.
"What the-?!" replied Megatron.
The Predacons were shocked and confused at the large stampede heading towards them.
Waspinator finally pulled his head out of the ground and stood up, slightly dazed from the hard landing. The green Predacon was utterly oblivious to the bison charging toward him. Eventually, he turned around, too late to avoid the incoming herd of large bovines. The bison ran over the unfortunate Predacon and he disappeared in the sea of thick, brown fur and horns. The only things to be heard of Waspinator were the yelps and screams of pain from the millions of hooves trampling on him.
Megatron, Tarantulas, and the giant beetle didn't have enough time to react either as they suffered the same fate as Waspinator. The force from the bovines made Tarantulas let go of Ethan and the human teen landed safely on the back of the black bison with Evan. Tigatron was quick to release Airazor from the webbing and carry her safely away from the stampede.
"Don't worry, Big Bro, the cavalry is here!" shouted the nine-year-old.
"Where did all of these bison come from?" asked Ethan.
"It was all your brother's idea," replied the black bison.
"Ethan, this is Bonecrusher. He came from the first pod we found," said Evan.
The eldest Witwicky boy smiled with relief, "So we didn't lose all of the protoforms?"
Eventually, the wild bison dispersed to reveal four tattered Predacons groaning on the ground, covered in hoof prints.
Bonecrusher and the Witwicky brothers regrouped with Tigatron and Airazor.
"Where's Optimus and Cheetor?" asked the striped Maximal.
The human children slid off of the bovine's back as Evan replied, "Cheetor got infected by Spittor's toxin. Optimus is flying him back to the Axalon to use the repair chamber."
Tigatron cocked his weapon. "Then it is up to us to finish this fight."
Bonecrusher smirked, "Now you're speaking my language."
The bison changed to robot mode, joining his fellow Maximals and human allies in the fray.
The Predacons slowly stood up, still weakened from the thousand stomping hooves they endured earlier.
The large beetle shook itself before shouting, "Insecticon, TERRORIZE!"
The insect's body bent and folded as it took the form of a robot. His armor reflected his blue and green exoskeleton from being a beetle. The six legs from before stuck out from behind his back, like Tarantulas's arachnid legs. His robotic head consisted of intimidating red optics that glared at the Maximals. On the side of his head looked like tiny horns but not as large as Bonecrusher's; rows of sharp, pointed teeth aligned his mouth.
Insecticon equipped his crossbow and aimed at the Maximals alongside his fellow Predacons. The Maximals and humans did the same and the battle continued.
Where once the Maximals were outnumbered, now the Predacons were outmatched by the giant powerhouse known as Bonecrusher. The large silver and white Maximal charged headlong into each of the Predacons, bashing them into trees or blasting them with his laser cannon from his mouth. Even Megatron struggled to keep up with this large Maximal. Waspinator found himself at a complete disadvantage since his wings were shot off by Airazor.
Eventually, Megatron could not take it anymore and shouted, "Predacons, retreat!"
The Predacons reverted to beast mode and ran as fast as they could away from the Maximals.
"Waaaait for Waaaazzpinatooor!" cried the wingless wasp as he crawled on his six legs.
But Bonecrusher was not finished. He changed back into a bison and snort; his front hoof scraped against the ground. The bovine lowered his head and made one final charge at Waspinator. Unfortunately, for the green Predacon, the new Maximal was too fast for him without his wings. When he was close enough, Bonecrusher rammed into Waspinator and flung him high in the air with his massive strength. Waspinator screamed as he spun out of control, high in the sky until he disappeared as a tiny spec in the distance.
Once all of the Predacons were gone, Evan jumped in the air and cheered. "Yeeeah! We rock!"
The brothers high-fived each other while Tigatron and Airazor reverted to beast mode.
"That was pretty amazing how you came in with those bison, Evan," said Ethan.
The nine-year-old shrugged, "I couldn't have done it without Bonecrusher. He convinced them to help us."
"That's not all he did," said the falcon. "He took on most of those Preds single-handedly."
"Indeed, your strength has proven to be most impressive today. We are grateful for your help," said Tigatron to the black bison.
Bonecrusher shook his head. "Don't think nothing of it. I was never a fan of bullies or dirty fighters back on Cybertron. If you guys still need my strength, I'm glad to offer it."
"That's reassuring because Megatron and his group won't stop until they achieve their goal of harvesting all the Energon on Earth and use it to take over Cybetron," explained Ethan.
"We better contact Optimus and explain what happened. Without him, we have a long journey back to the Axalon," said Tigatron.
With their new ally, Bonecrucher, the group began their trek back to Copper Wood on foot.
Unknown Location: 2 PM
Waspinator groaned as he sat up from his rough landing. The Predacon had a very unfortunate day of not only being run over by a stampede but also flung in the air by a giant Maximal.
He groaned and rubbed his head. "Waaaazpinatoooor in so much pain. Wazpinator neeeeeeed vacation after bozz bot complete mizzzzzzzzzion."
Suddenly, the ground underneath the green Predacon rumbled again.
"Ooooooh nooooo! Not moooooorre ztampeeeeedez!" cried Waspinator.
Little did he know that a few yards away from him was a wooden sign that read Steamboat Geyser.
"Do hairy cowz live underground?" asked Waspinator to himself.
As the rumbling got worst, Waspiantor realized what he was sitting on as he moaned, "Uh oh!"
A tall tower of steam shot up from the geyser and launched the screaming green wasp high in the air again.
"Waaaaaaaazpninatooooooor hatez thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiz!" he shouted.
Bonecrusher and Insecticon have joined the Beast Wars! I always imagined Bonecrusher to be voiced by Clancy Brown and Insecticon to be voiced by Alan Tudyk. Heck, Alan Tudyk could probably voice any of the Maximals or Predacons in this series if he wanted to. Hope you enjoyed this chapter because it took longer than I thought it would. Been crazy busy. I'll be taking a break from Beast Wars and focusing on my Bad Guys fanfic next time. Until then, feel free to leave a review on this chapter. What do you think of the new Maximal and Predacon that's added to the fanfic? Do you have any favorite parts? What would be the funniest scene for you so far in this fanfic? As always, thank you so much for your patience. See you later!
